Portrait :Ryutaro Goto, Winner of the World Junior Judo Championships

Last October, Ryutaro won the gold at the World Junior Championships. Winning the under 100kg competition was a great accomplishment, considering that Japan has been struggling in this class. After winning second place in a national competition when he was in his third year of junior high school, he turned down many offers and entered Keio Senior High School because he also wanted to focus on his studies. He contributed to the victory of the Kanagawa team in the men’s youth category of the National Sports Festival of Japan, and during his last year in high school, finished in third place in the individual event at the Inter-High School Athletic Meeting. He now belongs to the judo team of the Keio University Athletic Association. “The great thing about our judo team is that through self-directed practice in which members decide their own regimens, we work hard and compete against each other”, says Ryutaro. His specialty is “uchimata”, and his technique is very sharp. Being the world No.1 in the junior category led to his selection as a senior member of the national team. Aiming to compete in the World Championships, and more importantly, to participate in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, his biggest challenges from now on are to increase muscle strength, and also to balance judo and academics. As for his future dreams, he says, “I want to become someone who can contribute to society, not just limited to judo."